Is the Sohrabuddin case hurting Subramanium?

The Sohrabuddin fake encounter case, in which Gopal Subramanium was the amicus curiae, seems to have been the main factor as to why the Modi government is not accepting Supreme Court collegium’s recommendation on the appointment of the former solicitor general as an apex court judge.

Subramanium’s efforts in the case had led to the Supreme Court verdict taking away the sensitive case from Gujarat police and handing over it to the CBI in 2010. The CBI probe led to Narendra Modi’s trusted aide Amit Shah being arrested in July 2010.

Subsequently, Subramanium impressed upon the apex court that not only Sohrabuddin and his wife Kauser Bi were killed by the Gujarat police, a third person who was eye witness to their abduction Tulsiram Prajapati was also killed by the police and therefore both cases should be clubbed together as one case of triple murder.

“Gopal Subramanium played a pivotal role in the Sohrabuddin case and without his assistance; the entire case would have collapsed. Because of his efforts, Amit Shah is today facing a triple murder case,” a lawyer involved in the case said.

After Amit Shah was granted bail by the Gujarat high court in October 2010, again Gopal Subramanium suggested to the SC that he may not be allowed to enter Gujarat because as a powerful accused, he can interfere in the case and also influence the witnesses whose statements were recorded by the CBI.

The SC had externed Shah from entering Gujarat for more two years before granting him a regular bail.

Lawyers who represented Gujarat in 2002 riots fake encounter cases Mukul Rohatgi, Ranjit Kumar and Tushar Mehta are now the top law officers of the Modi government. Rohatgi is attorney general while Ranjit Kumar is solicitor general and Tushar Mehta has been made additional solicitor general.